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LTA impounds 199 PMDs from e-scooter sharing firms Telepod and Neuron Mobility

Telepod and Neuron’s e-scooters impounded at Esplanade Drive on 7 February, 2019. (PHOTO: LTA)
Telepod and Neuron’s e-scooters impounded at Esplanade Drive on 7 February, 2019. (PHOTO: LTA)

E-scooter sharing firm Telepod was charged in court on Thursday (21 February) for providing personal mobility device(PMD)-sharing services at public places without a licence or official exemption, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said.

In a press statement on the same day, the LTA added that it had impounded 68 Telepod PMDs as of 14 February, following repeated written warnings to the firm that it should not make PMDs available for hire without a licence or prior exemption.

The LTA said that it had also impounded 131 PMDs by Neuron Mobility, another e-scooter sharing firm, as of 14 February.

Neuron Mobility will be charged in court at a later date, the LTA added.

Among the locations that the two firms’ PMDs were impounded were Esplanade Drive, Bayfront Avenue, Bencoolen Street, Battery Road and Outram Road.

Under exemptions granted by the LTA, Telepod and Neuron Mobility are only allowed to provide PMD-sharing services at specific locations such as one-north.

A Telepod spokesperson told Yahoo News Singapore that the company is working to comply with parking regulations and will appeal to the LTA on the matter.

In response to media queries, a Neuron Mobility spokesperson told Yahoo News Singapore that since November 2018, the firm has taken steps to curb indiscriminate parking including using an app to give credits for moving scooters back to designated parking spots and a $5 penalty for errant parking.

“When the LTA introduced their new licensing scheme in January this year, we submitted our application for it and are looking forward to positive results,” the spokesperson added.

If convicted on each charge, unlicensed operators can be fined up to $10,000 and/or face six months in jail. A further fine of $500 for each day or part of a day that the offence continues after conviction may also be imposed.

“The LTA would like to remind all operators that when evaluating licence applications, LTA will consider their track record, including their compliance with the law and regulatory requirements,” the authority added.

Related story:

42 devices seized from three unlicensed PMD-sharing operators: LTA